Tortured Souls
by CaptainS10
Summary: Four and a half months ago, Holly was kidnapped. Now, Artemis has gotten her back, but she's not the same as before. A scared and fragile soul, she no longer even looks like the old Holly Short he knew. What could have made her this way? And how can he get her back to normal? T for now, rating may go up later. Contains dark and close-to mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Tortured Souls is back!**

**Okay, so anyone who remembers this story from the first time around, don't compare them together. The first draft of this sucked and had sooo many plot holes I don't even want to think about it. But I'm fixing it. This is the only chapter I have completed edited so far, but I'm gonna post it now and give you guys something to think about. ;) At any rate. . .I don't want to say whole new plot, but it is slightly different, and a whole lot better. I've made a bunch of changes. Anyone care to grade me? **

**Oh, and let me know what you guys think, because if it sucks even worse this time around and I'm just delusional, someone's gotta tell me. Then I'll probably just leave it as a oneshot, or, if I get time, take it down. **

**Without further ado, the new Tortured Souls!**

Chapter 1

Holly leaned back and rested her head against the wall. The concrete felt exaggeratedly cold against her burning skin. Her eyes flickered closed briefly, but she then she forced them open again. She couldn't go to sleep; if she did, there would be no guarantee whether she would wake up or not.

She no longer knew how long she had been there. After her equipment and things had been taken from her, there was no sure way to tell, and the days all blended together between the mix of torture and staring at the concrete walls that took place in most of them.

Her eyes fell closed again, and this time it took another moment to force them back open. Hold on, she chided herself weakly. Just a little longer. Just a little bit longer, and then you'll be free, one way or another . . .

There was no way to tell how much time passed between this thought and the moment when the door to her cell opened. The man stepped in silently. There was actually a man and a woman, but she was sure this one was the man because the man towered over her, whereas the woman was actually a little shorter than she was. The woman was the nicer of the two, but also the more powerful. She was the only one who could possibly have nice intents for visiting her. Or at least, non-violent intents. But she came very rarely.

By now the man was standing over her. "Hello again, Miss Short," he hissed at her, startling her from her thoughts. "How's my little prisoner today?"

Holly didn't answer, biting her lip and turning her gaze to the ground stubbornly. Of course, defiance would cost her - it always did - but she didn't relent. She never did, until it was forced. She wasn't quite sure why.

He stepped forward, getting closer to her, and his gloved hand slowly slipped into his cloak. "Silent treatment, eh? Oh well. I'll get some kind of response out of you, even if it is only screams."

His hand retracted so that she could see the object in his hand: a long silver knife. Her eyes widened as he bent down and pressed it to her throat; not that she was surprised by the weapon or his obvious intent to hurt her, just the fact that it seemed to be murderous intent this time. Usually his only intent was to hurt her.

Defiance forgotten in her shock, fear radiated off her in waves as she started to plead for her life. "Wait," she begged. "Don't! Please! I…"

She couldn't finish her sentence as the man slid his other hand up into her hair, twining his fingers into it, and then jerked her head back with enough force to almost snap her neck. The only sound that escaped her mouth now was a few strangled whimpers. She closed her eyes as the man pressed the knife a little deeper into her jugular and she awaits what she inevitably knows is coming.

It didn't come, however. Suddenly, the knife left her neck, and his hand was roughly ripped from her hair. Though she dared not open her eyes, she allowed herself a small, pained cry, even though she knew she'd probably pay for it later. In the meantime, however, she couldn't bring herself to care as she pushed back into the wall, curling up and trying to make herself as small as she could.

"Is she okay?"

The deep, somehow familiar voice reached her ears, calming the elf a little, but not enough for her to let her guard down. A new voice glided down to her ears, also familiar somehow, but not enough for her to recognize it.

"I'm not sure." Holly felt someone gently touch her arm, and when this elicited no response, the person knelt down beside her. "Holly?" Then something began to shake her, not roughly, like the cloaked man normally would, but lightly, almost caressingly. "Holly, please answer me. Please."

Holly, trembling, slowly cracked one eye open, then the other. She was beginning to realize where she had heard the voice, and it wasn't good. . . At least, if she was right it wasn't. Not for her.

The source of the voice was sitting a few feet away from her. A pale young boy with raven hair and deep blue eyes was sitting there, staring at her with a piercing gaze.

She whimpered and immediately tried to get away from him, moving back as far as the shackles on her hands and feet would allow. Her suspicions were even more aroused now. He seemed to fit the woman's description of the other man; the one she was supposed to fear but had never seen. He even had the giant man with him, standing a few feet behind him. However, that was no guarantee. The guarantee wouldn't come until she knew his name, and not before.

He followed her slowly, hands slightly raised, and stared at her with false concern. "It's okay, Holly. It's me, Artemis, remember? I'm not going to hurt you."

Artemis. The name of the other man. Holly swallowed hard and switched her gaze to the other man, who had started speaking.

"Artemis, she looks really scared," he said, studying her closely with narrowed eyes. "I don't think she's going to be very cooperative. We might have to sedate her."

"I know," Artemis sighed, frowning slightly. "I don't want to unless its absolutely necessary, though. I'd rather try and see if I can convince her to come with us willingly."

"That requires trust, Artemis. And by the looks of it, that's the one thing she's probably not willing to give you."

Artemis paused, considering it, and then looked the scared elf over once before nodding. "Alright. Do it. But try not to scare her more, if you please."

The big man nodded and knelt down also, slowly grabbing her arm. She didn't try to pull away, realizing he was going to be stronger than even the man and that she couldn't escape him, just stared at him with wide, fearful eyes and continued to tremble. "This is going to sting a little," he murmured, pulling a syringe out of his jacket pocket. Her eyes got even wider and she turned to look at Artemis, not saying anything, but pleading at him with her eyes.

He met her gaze for a moment, looking pained, and then looked at the ground, biting his lip. She, too, dropped her tearful gaze to the ground as the needle entered her arm and he pressed the plunger, pushing all out its contents out.

It took a second, but then the tranquilizer started to work its magic. The world started to spin and swirl into a mix of technicolored bubbles to Holly, and she almost fell to the floor, but Artemis reached out and grabbed her arm. Too tired to even see straight now, she fell limply into his arms.

The last thing she heard before she passed out was his voice by her ear, making her heart leap in fear, and instinctively knowing she knew she was completely at his mercy. "It's okay, Holly. Everything is okay. You're safe now."


	2. Chapter 2

**So. I wasn't going to keep posting on this but since I've got people asking for it, I will. I've already got the next chapter edited too, so keep your eyes peeled because it will be coming soon. :) Anyway, sorry this one is short; the should get longer later on. Promise. -smiles grimly- now, without further ado, Tortured Souls, chapter 2. ;)**

Chapter 2

As soon as Holly passed out, Butler started working on the shackles around her wrists and feet. Without even pausing to think about it, he gripped it as tightly as he could, and tugged it apart.

The shackles broke easily under the force of his strong grip, and he gently took Holly from Artemis's arms and slung her up over his shoulder.

"Come on," he told Artemis softly, looking down at the other male. "Let's get out of here."

"But what about him?" Artemis inquired, pointing to the now unconscious cloaked man on the ground.

Butler frowned deeply and walked over to where the man was laying. He picked him up by the collar and dragged him over to the nearest set of empty shackles (there were dozens of them, some even having a few bodies still attached) and slapped a set of them on the man. "There," he grunted, sounding satisfied. "That should hold him until the LEP come for him."

Artemis nodded, his eyes dark. "I suppose. Now, lets get her out of here."

o0o0o0o0o0

In the car, Artemis laid Holly down in the backseat and sat beside her, pulling her up so that her head rested in his lap. He pulled a blanket from the trunk of the Bentley and covered her up, then unable to resist the urge, he reached out and gently stroked her hair. Sitting there with her, looking at her face, brought back so many memories. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to relive the memory of when he found out she was missing.

FLASHBACK

"Artemis?" Butler rounded the corner to his master's study hurriedly, breathing hard from running all the way there. "Sir? Foaly's on the phone. There's been an emergency."

"Tell him to call my computer," he replied steadily.

Butler nodded and relayed the message. In seconds, the computer was beeping, telling Artemis he was receiving a video call request. It was labeled urgent.

"Foaly," Artemis said formally, smiling slightly. "To what to I owe this conversation?"

"Holly!" the centaur gasped. "She's gone!"

The smile dropped. "What do you mean, she's gone? She couldn't have just up and-"

"Disappeared!" Foaly finished. "I mean, gone, untraceable, vanished without a trace, however you want me to put it. None of my systems can get a fix on her, nothing! We can't find her anywhere, no matter what. We've tried everything!"

"Not everything," Artemis said, standing up, a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach. "I'm on my way."

REALITY

The flight down had been terrible, and the meeting with the centaur was no better. None of it got better. Everyone was distraught and sick with worry, and it was impossible to blame them.

By the time a lead came along, all hope was practically lost. Even Artemis and Foaly were beginning to think that they would never find her.

Four and a half months later, they finally got a lead. They jumped on the chance, thankfully, and now here they were. Holly was here, and she was safe now, though she didn't look to be in too good of a condition. She basically looked like skin pulled over bones, stretched extremely tight. She was paler than Artemis, and now that he thought about it, she was also burning up. . . .

"Butler," he called, leaning forward. "Do you have any Tylenol?"

"Not on me," the man replied. "Just a few more minutes; we're almost to the manor.

Artemis nodded, his face grim. "Fine. But she's burning up."

Butler nodded, his jaw clenching as he pressed the accelerator a little harder. .

They arrived at the manor in a few more short minutes, and Butler took Holly up to her usual room while Artemis went to get some medication.

He came back in a few minutes later and injected the medicine in her arm. Standing over her, he fully took in her small form for the first time in seemingly forever. "Do you think we should hook her up to a drip feed?" he asked softly.

Butler didn't even pause to think about it. "Yes. And a monitor too, if possible."

"Right. I think there's one around here somewhere. If not, there's a store uptown you can buy them. See to it." Butler nodded in agreement and started to turn around. "Oh, and Butler?" He turned. "Send Juliet up, will you? Holly needs cleaned off and some new clothes to wear. I can handle the cleaning, but I'm afraid none of my clothes will fit her."

"Of course," he replied, knowing better than to question his employer. Then he exited the room, leaving Artemis alone with Holly.

Artemis slowly turned back to face the elf. "Oh, Holly," the boy sighed. "What have we gotten ourselves into this time?" He shook his head once, then reached out to lightly stroke her hair again.

He sighed again. He didn't want to leave her side, yet he needed to go call Foaly and tell everyone the news. He frowned, but decided to go do it now. After all, they had been waiting for this moment for four and a half months…


End file.
